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Chapter Outline
| Acts involved with eye protection and vision screening | Regulations involved with eye protection and vision screening |
| SANS guidelines involved with eye protection and vision screening | Mandatory Codes of Practices involved with eye protection and vision screening |
Educational Aims
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
Identify the different legislative requirements for vision screening in occupational health.Identify the specific acts involved in vision screening and protecting the eyes.
Study the regulations pertaining to vision screening.
Be aware of the South African National Standard (SANS) related to eye protection.
Key Terms / Abbreviations Aims
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ≤ | This symbol means equal to or less than |
| ≥ | This symbol means equal to or greater than |
| BSI | British Standards Institute |
| CC | Compensation Commissioner |
| COP | Code of Practice |
| DMRE | Department of Mineral Resources and Energy |
| DOL / DEL | Department of Employment and Labour formally known as Department of Labour |
| EN | European Standards |
| Govt. | South African Government |
| IR | Ionising radiation |
| NIR | Non-ionising radiation |
| NNR | National Nuclear Regulator |
| PD | Permanent Disability |
| SABS | South African Bureau of Standards |
| SAMSA | The South African Maritime Safety Authority |
| SANS | South African National Standard |
| SASOM | The South African Society of Occupational Medicine |
| Term | Explanation |
| Compensation commissioner | The Compensation Commissioner (CC) is appointed under section 2(1)(a) of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, 1993 (Act 130 of 1993); one of the responsibilities of the CC is to determine the validity of a claim, determine the degree of disability and payment of compensation to the claimant. |
| Competent person | (a) a person registered in terms of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act 56 of 1974), with the Health Professions Council of South Africa in any of the following three categories— (i) Ophthalmologist (eye specialist); (ii) optometrist; or (iii) occupational medicine practitioner; or (b) a person with a qualification in occupational vision screening obtained from an institution registered with the South African Qualification Authority or any of its structures in terms of the South African Qualifications Authority Act, 1995 (Act 58 of 1995) |
| Ionising radiation | A type of high-energy radiation that has enough energy to remove an electron (negative particle) from an atom or molecule, causing it to become ionized. Ionizing radiation can cause chemical changes in cells and damage DNA. Radiation consists of particles, X-rays, or gamma rays with sufficient energy to cause ionization in the medium through which it passes. |
| Mandatory Code of Practice | A code of practice is a document that complements occupational health and safety laws and regulations to provide detailed practical guidance on how to comply with the legal obligations. They should be followed unless another solution with the same or better health and safety standard are in place. When published the DME all mining companies are required to implement them. If mentioned in an Act they are also mandatory. |
| Medical surveillance | A planned program to monitor the health of workers and is permissible in terms of legislation and justifiable in terms of medical evidence, conditions of employment and the inherent requirements of the job. |
| Non-ionising radiation | Non ionising radiation ranges from extremely low frequency radiation, shown on the far left through the radiofrequency, microwave, and visible portions of the spectrum into the ultraviolet range. It is found at the long wavelength end of the spectrum and may have enough energy to excite molecules and atoms causing then to vibrate faster. |
| Occupational health | includes occupational hygiene, occupational medicine / health, and biological monitoring; |
| Occupational health practitioner | Means an occupational medicine practitioner or a person who holds a qualification in occupational health recognized as such by the South African Medical and Dental Council as referred to in the Medical, Dental and Supplementary Health Service Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974), or the South African Nursing Council as referred to in the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act No. 50 of 1978) |
| Occupational hygiene | Workers are exposed to a wide range of health and safety hazards in the workplace environment. These hazards can result in either acute or chronic health effects depending on nature and route of exposure. Occupational hygiene plays a vital role in alleviating exposure to harmful substances and agents in the workplace. The components of occupational hygiene are identification, evaluation, and control of workplace health hazards. The most important aspect of occupational hygiene is the control of hazards. However, identification and evaluation are necessary steps leading to implementation of appropriate and cost-effective control measures. |
| Occupational medicine | Means the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness, injury and adverse health effects associated with a particular type of work |
| Occupational medicine practitioner | Means a medical practitioner as defined in the Medical, Dental and Supplementary Health Service Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974), who holds a qualification in occupational medicine or an equivalent qualification which qualification or equivalent is recognized as such by the South African Medical and Dental Council referred to in the said Act; |
| SABS / SANS explanatory note | “SABS” is a certification body that is accredited by SANS. It is therefore incorrect to refer to the SABS as a standard, as it is a testing and certification body who is allowed to sample and test products and certify a producer’s product to a specific SANS standard, through their SANS accreditation. “SANS”, on the other hand, refers to a standard that specifies the performance requirements of a specific product. A SANS standard may be either locally written or created by adopting an international (usually ISO) standard. |
| The risk employees / safety critical employees | Employees exposed to visual risks including chemicals over the occupational exposure limit |
| Transmittance | The ratio of the light energy falling on a body to that transmitted through it. |
| Ultraviolet Light | Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight. |
| Work | Means work as an employee or as a self-employed person, and for such purpose an employee is deemed to be at work during the time that he is in the course of his employment, and a self-employed person is deemed to be at work during such time as he devotes to work as a self-employed person; |
| Workplace | Means any premises or place where a person performs work in the course of his employment. |
Legislations / Regulations and SANS Standards
| Item | Explanation |
| MSA | Merchant Shipping Act, No 57 on 1951 |
| EEA | Employment Equity Act, No 55 of 1998 |
| MHS Act | The Mine Health and Safety Act, No 29 of 19967 |
| NRTA | The National Road Traffic Act, Act 93 of 1996 (NRTA) |
| OSH Act | The Occupational Health and Safety Act, No 85 of 1993 |
| GAR | The General Administrative Regulations in terms of Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993), Government Notice R.1449 of 6 September 1996; |
| COID Act | The Compensation for Occupational Injury and Disease Act, No 130 of 1993 |
| NRA | NRA The National Nuclear Regulator Act, No 47 of 1999 |
| DM Regs | The Driven Machinery Regulations17 (DMR) published on 24th June 2015 in Government Gazette No.38905 |
| HCAR | The Hazardous Chemical Agents Regulations18 (HCAR) published on 29th March 2021 in Government Gazette No.44348 |
| HBAR | The Hazardous Biological Agents Regulations19 (HBAR) published on 27th December 2001 in Government Gazette No.22956 |
| NNRA | The National Nuclear Regulator Act, No. 47 of 199922. |
